SCIENCES ENERGIES ENVIRONNEMENT

Dear olivier hartmanshenn,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 32: Mushroom behind 'tiny people' hallucinations identified DNA sequencing linked Lilliputian hallucinations in southwest China and northern Philippines to Lanmaoa asiatica. The mushroom lacks known psychoactive compounds, including psilocybin, indicating an unidentified hallucinogenic agent. Genomic analysis identified 17 Lanmaoa species; L. asiatica was the only psychoactive species detected.   Omega-3 plus low-dose aspirin produces antibiotic-like results against severe periodontitis In 109 adults with severe periodontitis, omega-3 plus low-dose aspirin for 6 months after scaling achieved clinical targets in 57.7% at 12 months, comparable to antibiotics (58%) and higher than placebo (23.1%). Combining both treatments added no benefit; broader validation is needed before routine use.   Why some people are mosquito magnets while others get away unbitten Mosquito attraction varied by species rather than reflecting universal “mosquito magnet” status. Skin odor compounds and microbial communities were associated with attraction: cyclic alcohols and monoterpenes reduced attraction for Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus, whereas ketones attracted Aedes albopictus.   Neanderthal growth hormone receptor increases muscle mass in people today, study shows A Neanderthal-derived growth hormone receptor variant increased cellular growth responses and was associated with ~270 g greater adult muscle mass. Effects were absent before age 11, suggesting later onset. Carriers also showed subtly shorter mandibular rear sections and tooth roots; the variant is most common in South and East Asia.   New therapy eliminates gum disease bacterium while preserving beneficial oral microbes Near-infrared photo-antibacterial targeting therapy using an IgY–dye conjugate selectively eliminated Porphyromonas gingivalis while sparing gingival cells and beneficial oral bacteria. In mouse periodontitis models, it reduced alveolar bone loss and preserved Streptococcus populations better than antibiotics or photodynamic therapy.   How to keep the Earth habitable when the sun dies A proposed long-term strategy uses a sunshade, artificial fusion power from gas giants, and orbital adjustment to protect Earth during solar evolution. Antimatter-driven core heating could sustain tectonics, while directed mass beams could alter Solar System motion. The concept remains highly speculative and requires extreme resources.   How the brain's electrical signatures shift as tinnitus becomes chronic EEG in normal-hearing tinnitus showed stage-dependent network dynamics. Acute tinnitus involved heightened salience-network activity and reduced executive-control activity, consistent with hypervigilance. Chronic tinnitus showed more balanced network switching and lower-frequency auditory/executive activity, suggesting compensatory neural reorganization.   Sticky alpine flower confirms Darwin's 150-year-old carnivorous plant prediction Saxifraga candelabrum attracts and traps insects on glandular hairs, shows phosphatase activity consistent with prey digestion, and absorbs insect-derived 15N. Genomic features linked to carnivory further support its classification as a carnivorous plant, validating Darwin’s hypothesis for Saxifraga.   Alzheimer's-linked tau disrupts mitochondria, reversing electron flow in nerve cells Hyperphosphorylated tau entered mitochondria, bound NDUFS3, and induced reverse electron transport, increasing reactive species, inflammation, and neurodegenerative damage. Tau depletion or blockade of tau–NDUFS3 binding with CPT prevented these effects and improved behavioral and neuropathological outcomes in cellular and animal tauopathy models.   Brain turns listening inward during REM sleep, EEG recordings suggest Across wakefulness to phasic REM sleep, EEG responses to external sounds progressively decreased, while responses to heartbeats were preserved or strengthened in 25 participants. This indicates a selective shift from external to internal sensory processing rather than global sensory suppression. An audio–cardiac response index may help characterize altered consciousness.   A new species of Ice Age toad discovered at La Brea Tar Pits: The spadefoot toad Spea labreae Spea labreae, an extinct spadefoot toad from Late Pleistocene La Brea deposits, was identified from distinctive skeletal features. The assemblage also provides the first southwestern US record of Rhinophrynus. These amphibian records indicate major regional environmental and species-range changes since the last ice age.   Marine microbes point to ancient seawater source beneath Antarctica's Blood Falls Marine-associated microorganisms dominate brine-fed ice, mud and sediment at Antarctica’s Blood Falls, unlike nearby freshwater and terrestrial communities. The higher overlap with oceanic eukaryotes supports an ancient seawater origin for subglacial brine, likely isolated as sea level fell and Taylor Glacier advanced.   Common midlife vascular risk factors may cut dementia-free life by up to 13 years Among adults followed from midlife, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking showed a stepwise association with shorter dementia-free survival after age 55. Participants with all three factors averaged 17.5 dementia-free years versus 30.1 years with none, alongside higher dementia and pre-dementia mortality rates. Observational data do not establish causality.   3D DNA mapping in rare immune cells reveals new genes linked with autoimmune disease risk Mini-Capture Hi-C mapped enhancer–gene contacts in rare ILC3 immune cells using low cell numbers. Over 100 genes were linked to Crohn’s disease-associated enhancer variants, including previously unimplicated genes. CLN3 regulated inflammatory signaling in ILC3s, supporting an immune role for this neurological disease-associated gene.   Homo antecessor skull layers resemble modern humans and Neanderthals, fragments suggest Adult Homo antecessor parietal fragments have total cranial vault thickness within modern human and Neanderthal ranges, lower than in Homo erectus and other early Pleistocene hominins. Diploë comprised 41–50% of thickness, while outer and inner table proportions differed from both groups, supporting mosaic cranial anatomy; limited sample size constrains conclusions.   Two origins of life: Free-living cells may have emerged twice as bacteria and archaea diverged Comparative metabolic analyses suggest LUCA used enzymes for about half of core biosynthetic reactions, with environmental metals catalyzing the remainder. Bacterial and archaeal ancestors independently evolved distinct enzymes for key reactions, potentially enabling separate transitions to free-living cells. Phosphite–palladium chemistry may have supplied pre-ATP phosphorylation energy.   Birth order may influence your disease risk later in life, study finds Birth order was associated with 150 of 418 analyzed disease categories in insurance claims from two-child families, but individual risk differences were small. First-borns had higher diagnosis rates of neurodevelopmental, mental health, and allergic conditions; second-borns had higher rates of substance-use, migraine, digestive, shingles, and some joint conditions. Associations do not establish causation.   A lesser-known SARS-CoV-2 protein may offer clues to long COVID symptoms SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein suppresses early antiviral signaling while amplifying macrophage inflammation; this effect is conserved among pathogenic coronaviruses and strongest for Delta. Macrophage-derived inflammatory signals disrupted coronary endothelial barriers in cell models, suggesting a mechanism for vascular and cardiac injury in severe COVID-19.   Has the definition of autism become too broad to be useful? Broad autism criteria encompass individuals with widely differing developmental profiles and support needs, potentially reducing diagnostic precision. Rising diagnoses may reflect awareness, broader interpretation, self-identification, and cultural factors. Clearer subgroups and needs-based assessment may help reduce misdiagnosis and better target support.   'Little red dots' may be pulsating monster stars that created early-universe black holes Supermassive stars (~105 solar masses) may explain early-universe little red dots through pulsational mass ejections that form compact, nitrogen-rich gas shells. The model reproduces unusual hydrogen spectra and morphology without strong X-ray or radio emission, and predicts eventual direct collapse into massive blac